This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119 to Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-182577 filed May 15, 2001, he entire contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
This invention relates to a table cover providing functional napkins and more particularly to functional napkins that can prevent contamination of a dress and can collect dropped off a table, during a meal.
Customarily, it has been in fashion to use a table cover including a table cloth selected by one""s choice or one""s sense, for prevention of dirt on a table surface and for representation of a pleasant spot during the meal.
While, these table covers have been provided in various types so that the market enables to supply not only various materials to correspond with any one""s likings, for example, a cloth, a synthetic resin sheet, a water proof table cover adhered to a cloth and a transparent sheet to give a cloth taste, but also various designs, patterns, or appearances thereof.
These table covers have generally been used for prevention of dirt on a surface of the table and for enhancement of an atmosphere in a dining room.
In another way, an infant or an old man sometimes spills on the table food or contaminates his clothing or a carpet as the former cannot take well the meal, and the latter is inconvenient of his body. Accordingly, the former wears a bib and the latter puts a napkin or a towel on his lap for meal, respectively, for the above purposes, under certain circumstances, the latter uses an apron having a private pocket for spilled foods.
In view of such spilled foods, during the meal, Japanese Utility Model Registration Nos. 3019803 and 3067791 teach, respectively, a table cover which prevents dirt on the dress even if the food is spilled during the meal.
Utility Model Registration No. 3019803 teaches a table cover providing four pieces of cloth attached on its four sides by tape fasteners to form four bend portions so that crumbs or spilled liquids, during the meal, can be received in those portions and maintained cleanly on the table surface.
Utility Model Registration No. 3067791 discloses a table cover that can be used both as a bib and a table cloth by attaching a string on one side of a rectangular vinyl cloth the sane size as the table surface. In use, the table cover is spread on the table to put on the tableware, after the string is tied about a neck of the infant or the old man, and thereafter they can take the meal, without any dirt on their dresses or on the carpet The table surface can be also maintained cleanly to use again, without any sweeping, by merely washing the removed table cover. The prior art clearly teach respectively table covers directed to an infant or to an old deformed person, which can prevent dirt on the table surface and the dress, during the meal.
As mentioned above, various products and arts, such as the convenient napkin and bib which can receive spilled food during the meal as well as the table covers, have been provided for the dining market for the production of a pleasant meal, prevention of dirt and reduction of a charge for an attendant of the infant or the old deformed person, and those products to be indispensable fixtures for the dining table, in the future. Particularly a household that uses napkins as a table manner, is recently increasing even if there is no infant or deformed old person.
Meanwhile, all persons including an adult, the infant and the deformed old person have to take respectively a meal everyday and, in each meal of the infant and the deformed old person, the mother or family had to surely help with their meal so that they can take it without spilling out the tableware and without contaminating clothing, carpet or floor by the spilled foods. This indispensable assistance every day is heavy work for the related persons, not to say nothing of themselves.
The table covers described hereinabove for the prevention of dirt on the dress and the table surface during the meal of such an infant and deformed old person, could attain some effects in its own way for their purposes, however, they have still the following inconveniences and faults.
An exclusive apron or bib providing a large pocket is objectionable to the infant or the deformed old person but could attain a certain effect for the prevention of dirt on the dress or carpet however, the spilled food thereon could not be received into the pocket because the infant does not take the meal quietly, and the pocket is smashed because it is attached at the front portion and moreover the meal is taken at a position such as to overlap the table. Accordingly, such an apron or bib for the meal is not effective for them. Contrary, the deformed old person takes the meal calmly, however, most of them dislike using such a private apron or bib because it is unattractive and gives him a sense of incongruity with the family during use.
Additionally, the table cover disclosed in Utility Model Registration No. 3019803 comprises a table cloth covered on a table surface and the table cloth pieces formed respectively on four sides of the former hem for also receiving crumbs and spilled liquids. However, they can merely receive the spilled crumbs and liquids on the table surface and those crumbs and liquids have to be scraped down into the hems after the latter is closed by tape fasteners which are released every time. Accordingly, the table cloth is inconvenient to use and has other shortages because the prevention of the dirt on a dress or carpet is impossible due to the hem portions being attached shortly around the dining table. Disposal of the table cloth is also very much troublesome.
The table cloth of Utility Model Registration No. 3067791 discloses a rectangular table cloth which is used both as a bib and table cloth and has attached a string on one side of a vinyl cloth covered on a table surface. The cover is not a novel table cover because it is merely a large size bib and further does not have a constant space or surplus between the vinyl cloth for the prevention of dirt and a portion of the infant""s neck, when it is used during the meal, as it is directly tied around the neck. Therefore, the table cover can neither affect technically nor actually the anticipation of a user for the tablewares thereon to be removed and over-turned, according to a replacement of the table cover linked with a movement of the infant.
In order to over-come the above faults and inconveniences, an embodiment of the present invention provides a table cover having functional napkins which can enhance an atmosphere during the meal, be maintained clean on a table surface, prevent dirt on the dress, and receive spilled food on the table into turned-over portions of the napkins.
The table cover comprises a rectangular sheet of a larger cloth or synthetic resin material than the table surface, and provides napkin pieces attached on longitudinal both sides of the rectangular sheet and projected in a fixed length and width from the table cover edges.
The napkin pieces are cut off at sides respectively until near portions of the table surface edges and plural sets of fastening means such a male-female planar fasteners or hooks are furnished on the edges of the cut napkins and on near portions of the table edges opposed to the edges of the cut napkins when they are held back. The napkins therefore may be held back around all the side portions of the rectangular sheet on the table surface when the meal is taken, and contrarily, during the meal, they can freely be used after release from the latter portions.
The functional napkins also provide a string or a hanging loop respectively on their edge portions to maintain them exactly on one""s lap to prevent dirt on the dress or carpet, etc., as described hereinafter in detail.
Accordingly, an embodiment of the present invention to provide a table cover having functional napkins projected through edges of the former and cut on both sides to an appointed depth on the former to prevent dirt on the dress or carpet and to be clean on the table surface by scraping off spilled foods or liquids thereon into the functional napkins turned up on one""s lap and further providing plural sets of male-female fastening members at their edge portions and opposite for holding back on all sides of the former, respectively.
An embodiment of the present invention is to provide for a table cover having the above functional napkins and the latter providing plural sets of male-female planar fasteners or hooks at corresponding portions for the fastening members, for the same sake as the above.
An embodiment of the present invention is to provide for a table cover having the above functional napkins attached on their edges respectively a string of an appointed length to cover exactly one""s front portion by hanging it around one""s neck for the same sake as the above.
An embodiment of the present invention is to provide for a table cover having the above functional napkins which are made separately and attached detachably on the former by plural set of male-female fastening members on an end of the back surface of the latter and on opposite portions on the surface of the former, for holding back of the latter, at all sides of the former.
An embodiment of the present invention is to provide for a table cover having the above fictional napkins which are separately and attached detachably on the former by plural sets of male-female members set on an end of the back surface of the latter and on more inward portions than opposite portions on the surface of the former, for holding back of the latter at all sides of the former.
An embodiment of the present invention is to provide a table cover having above functional napkins providing slip-proof members on their back to fix them on each one""s lap, during a meal.